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Doing sports or exercises is inevitable to every human being, and most schools try to convince kids that doing sports can be fun as well. My school did that too with the sport day. I was excited about it because I did not know what to expect as a freshman in my new school.
It was a cold October morning when the bell rang as the students were waiting anxiously in their respective homerooms. Pretty normal. Except it wasn't just any normal day, it was sport day. That meant no studying that day, so we didn't need to pack any of our books.

At the beginning of the sport day, every single student of the school had to run or walk 2020 metres around the school. The last kids got to the finish in about 45 minutes. After the run, everyone could decide what do they want to do for the rest of the day. Some students went to the outskirt of the town by their bicycle. The other ones could choose which sport do they want to play.
The schedule consisted of a few basketball matches at 9:00, football at 11:00, and volleyball at 13:00.

Meanwhile those who were not part of the teams could stay and watch the games, cheering occasionally, or take a walk around the city (with teachers trailing behind them, of course). The rest of the day was a blur. We watched as our teams won and lost, but still enjoy the games nonetheless. At the end of the day the rankings were announced, and we did great overall. After the announcement our teacher congratulated us, and we went home.
This day was also great because we did not have to study. Furthermore, we could leave earlier than usual, so that was a plus point as well.
All in all, the whole day was great and I cannot wait for the next sport day.
Tamás Gábor, Mester Máté
9.D

These unexpected times we are living have pushed us to learn about teaching using digital tools. FUSION, our Erasmus + project was born looking at this teacher's profile. Being competent with digital tools is not easy for everybody. It is a new world in which we have to invest time and energy, motivation and curiosity and that's why we ask you all...HOW DO YOU DO IT IN YOUR SCHOOLS? During the summer, Etwinning offered a course online (three months learning: from September to November) to teach us how to use the platform. Lucky us we have Corinne, our French coordinator, who is Ambassador of ETwinning due to her competency working in this virtual environment who during our visit in Ankara gave us some hints on how to use the platform.. At the same time we use platforms, some are governmental ones others are private, to upload our materials (activities, exams, projects..) being in the classroom or/and in online teaching. In The Canary Islands we use EVAGD (very similar to Moodle) and it allows us to create and share new products and to assess our students using digital tools. We are curious about you. During our mobilities to Turkey and North Macedonia we talked about this matter but, now, we invite you to participate in our blog telling us more about these platforms you use, how you use them and the advantages and disadvantages you face everyday teaching. We, all, will learn from your posts.

Estos tiempos tan inesperados nos han empujado a todos a aprender como usar herramientas digitales para enseñar. FUSION, nuestro proyecto Erasmus +, nació pensando en ese perfil de profesor. Ser competente en el mundo digital no es fácil para todos.Es um mundo nuevo en el que tenemos que invertir tiempo y energía, motivación y curiosidad..y es por eso que les preguntamos....¿CÓMO LO HACEN USTEDES EN SUS ESCUELAS? Durante el verano Etwinning ofreció un curso online (¡tres meses desde septiembre hasta noviembre) para enseñarnos a usar la plataforma. Afortunados somos porque nuestra coordinadora francesa, Corinne, es Embajadora de Etwinning por lo competente que es utilizando esta herramienta y ya en la movilidad a Ankara nos dió algunas pistas de cómo usarla. Al tiempo nosotros usamos plataformas, algunas gubernamentales y otras privadas, para subir nuestros materiales (actividades, exámenes, proyectos...) ya sea en clase o a distancia. En las Islas Canarias, nosotros usamos EVAGD (similar to Moodle) que nos permite crear y compartir nuevos productos y evaluar a nuestro alumnado usando herramientas digitales. Tenemos curiosidad por saber cómo lo hacen ustedes.Durante nuestras movilidades a Turquía y Macedonia del Norte hablamos sobre este tema pero ahora les invitamos a participar en el blog comentando qué plataformas usan, cómo las usan y las ventajas y desventajas que cada día tienen que enfrentar en la enseñanza actual.Todos nosotros aprenderemos de estos comentarios.

The French Department proposed a visit to the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris, where students of the 1st Bachillerato have been able to appreciate the works of the best impressionist painters of all times, through this link and a document which was provided to explain how to comment on a painting. One of the most chosen paintings was Le berceau (1872) of Berthe Morisot.

At the age of 32, Berthe Morisot was determined to show that painting was not only a profession for men and for example with this painting she showed everything she was able to do, In this painting we can appreciate the tenderness of a mother to her son shown not only by her face but also by the positions of her body. With this painting she also showed the role women were assigned: to stay at home and take care of theirfamily. Even in the 19th century the School of Fine Arts was forbidden to women and Berthe Morisot was known not for her artistic talent but for having been a model for the painter Edouard Manet. She was the first and only female Impressionist painter to participate in the 1874 exhibition. In this way her fellow painters with whom she worked closely recognized her value.. She was acknowleged for her great work in the late 20th century. However, it was not until last August when for the first time since its opening in 1986, the Musée d'Orsay dedicated an exhibition to her, the largest of this painter with many paintings from private collections and some of them shown to the public for the first time. This was the first monographic event dedicated to this painter by a national museum since the retrospective organized in 1941 at the Musée de l'Orangerie.

In 2nd Baccalaureate we get closer to the narrative culture: the African story teller, with a story by Samuel Mountoumnjou and the work of Impressionist painters such as Renoir, Degas and Manet, The students had the option to represent an impressionist tale or play. They chose to introduce us an Impressionist painter and represent a conversation between the characters in one of these works of art.

Click the picture to watch the full video

Vivement les lycéens!

El Departamento de Francés propuso al alumnado de 1º de Bachillerato la visita al Museo de Orsay, en Paris, donde se pueden apreciar las obras de los mejores pintores impresionistas de todos los tiempos, a través de este enlace y se facilitó un documento donde se explicaba cómo comentar un cuadro. Uno de los cuadros que más eligieron fue el de la pintora Berthe Morisot, Le berceau, La cuna, de 1872.

 A sus 32 años, Berthe Morisot estaba decidida a demostrar que la pintura no era solo una profesión para los hombres y para ello demostró todo lo que sabía hacer; por ejemplo con este cuadro, donde se muestra la ternura de una madre a su hijo no sólo por su cara sino por las posiciones de su cuerpo. Con este cuadro también dejaba ver la figura a la que estaba destinada la mujer, a permanecer en casa y ocuparse de su familia. Aún en el siglo XIX La Escuela de Bellas Artes estaba prohibida a las mujeres y Berthe Morisot era conocida no por su talento artístico sino por haber sido modelo del pintor Edouard Manet. Fue la primera y única mujer pintora impresionista que participó en la exposición de 1874, siendo reconocido su valor entre sus compañeros pintores con los que trabajó codo con codo. Fue reconocida por su gran obra a finales del siglo XX. Sin embargo, no fue hasta agosto del año pasado cuando por primera vez desde su apertura en 1986, el Museo de Orsay le dedicó una exposición, la mayor de la pintora hasta la época con muchísimos cuadros provenientes de colecciones privadas o que se mostraron al público por primera vez, y el primer acto monográfico dedicado por un museo nacional desde la retrospectiva organizada en 1941 en el Museo de la Orangerie.

En 2º de Bachillerato nos acercamos a la cultura narrativa, el cuento africano, con un cuento de Samuel Mountoumnjou  y a la obra de pintores impresionistas como Renoir, Degas y Manet (Pincha este enlace: desayuno en la hierba)  El alumnado tuvo la opción de representar un cuento o una obra impresionista. Optó por presentar a un pintor impresionista y representar una conversación entre los personajes de una de estas obras de arte.

Vivement les lycéens!

On June 8 th I went back to school for the first time after the more than 2-month lockdown and discovered some strange signs .

 In fact only few students and teachers are allowed to get into the building, most still work online. But it is very important not to spread covid 19 again, so we have to wear masks when teaching, which is quite difficult for a language teacher! The students have to wear masks, too . We all wash our hands with alcohol when we arrive and clean the computer keyboards.

But what is really strange is the path you must follow when you come in and out. Some staircases are dedicated to entrance, the others to exit, so that people do not meet in the corridors.

The students do not change rooms as usual, and only few rooms are accessible because they need being disinfected before, and they will be every evening.

What a complicated system! But we still have to be precautious.

Le 8 juin, nous sommes retournés en cours après un confinement de plus de 2 mois et nous avons découvert de bien étranges panneaux.

En effet, seuls quelques étudiants de BTS et les professeurs sont autorisés à revenir au lycée , et tout est fait pour les protéger d’une reprise du virus du COVID 19 .

Nous portons des masques pour enseigner, ainsi que nos étudiants, ce qui n’est pas évident quand on enseigne des langues vivantes ! Nous nous lavons les mains avec de l’alcool et nettoyons les claviers des ordinateurs.

Mais le plus contraignant est les circuits de circulation, avec un sens pour entrer et un sens pour la sortie avec des cages d’escalier condamnées et des salles fermées, car chaque salle doit être désinfectée avant usage. Les étudiants restent donc dans la même salle qui sera désinfectée pour le lendemain.

Une rentrée bien compliquée, mais c’est le prix de notre santé !

Do you remember the frogs and flowers album during the lockdown?
Today I want to introduce you two very special frogs:
One was made with a special pottery technique called raku .
What is raku ?
Raku (楽焼, raku-yaki) generally refers to a type of low-firing process that was inspired by traditional Japanese raku firing. It was traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, most often in the form of chawan tea bowls. Western-style raku usually involves removing pottery from the kiln while at bright red heat and placing it into containers with combustible materials. Once the materials ignite, the containers are closed.

The second one comes from the small and yet very famous village of Saint Nectaire in France . It is where the saint Nectaire cheese is from. It was made at a very special place, with a very special technique : It was made in a cave , an underground environment fitted out 200 years ago by the family ancestor, and where the precisely the 52°C hot volcanic springs spurt out.
Their high mineralization is used to make encrustations on moulds or low-reliefs out of calcium carbonate in a petrifying fountain which is a 14-meter-high ladder that takes advantage of calcium carbonate to fill in the 1200 moulds which are placed underneath the petrifying water. They get supervised and handled daily until the statues are finished.
This is the link to their site https://fontaines-petrifiantes.fr/

Vous vous souvenez peut être de notre album Fleurs et grenouilles ?
Aujourd’hui je veux vous présenter deux grenouilles très spéciales  de par leurs procédés de fabrication.
La première est un modèle en raku Le raku, abréviation du terme japonais raku-yaki 楽焼 (raku-yaki, c’est-à-dire « cuisson confortable » ou « cuisson heureuse ») est le résultat d'une technique d'émaillage développée dans le Japon du XVI e siècle. Il est lié essentiellement à la fabrication de bols pour la cérémonie du thé. C’est en fait une technique d’émaillage qui consiste à placer le biscuit dans un four fermé qui peut être chauffé jusqu’à 1000 °.
La deuxième nous vient du village de Saint Nectaire, célèbre pour son fromage. Elle a été produite dans les fontaines pétrifiantes de saint Nectaire
La technique consiste à réaliser des moulages à partir de matrices, dans lesquels le calcaire se déposera pour réaliser des œuvres d’art insolites. La Fontaine Pétrifiante est en fait une surprenante chute d’eau de 14 mètres qui permet l’exploitation artistique du calcaire et permet de produire des statues de toutes les tailles.
https://fontaines-petrifiantes.fr/en/parcours-interactif/la-fontaine-petrifiante

This is the letter I sent to my students once I realised that the whole “stay at home” situation due to the corona virus was going to last a bit longer than we all thought. Of course, since I am an English teacher, the original letter was the English version.

 My dear students,

I know this is a very awkward situation we find ourselves in. But until further notice, we should all try together to do our BEST and continue with our daily routines in a different manner. At the moment, everything is on hold, but your education doesn't have to be.

At times like this, we are put to the test. Our technology skills are put to the test. And I have absolutely no doubt that YOU will pass that test with ease. Now is the time when we all realise just how important the development of our computer and ICT skills is. That smart phones aren't smarter than US. That they were built not to distract, but to HELP us perform our daily tasks. To offer a different possibility that is only a fingertip away. It is practically impossible to talk about preparing you for the future, without mentioning the importance of the COMPUTER LITERACY, a crucial knowledge and ability you have to own if you want to THRIVE nowadays.

And since one can not be imagined without the other, the development of your English reading, listening, writing and speaking skills are of a HIGH IMPORTANCE. And that's where I come in the picture. To help you do that. It's about time we resume our lessons. Let's continue from where we left off the last time we saw each other.

So USE your computers and smart phones wisely and efficiently. As I mentioned before, they should help, not distract. USE them to your ADVANTAGE. In order to do that, you have to work on improving your English as well.

With love,

Your English teacher

(Драги мои ученици,
Знам дека ова е многу непријатна ситуација во која се наоѓаме. Но, сè додека не добиеме понатамошни насоки, сите треба да се обидеме заедно да го сториме НАЈДОБРОТО и да продолжиме со нашите секојдневни рутини на поинаков начин. Во моментов, сè е во мирување, но вашето образование

не мора да биде.
Во времиња како овие, ние сме ставени на тест. Нашите технолошки вештини се ставени на тест. И апсолутно не се сомневам дека ќе го поминете тој тест со леснотија. Сега е време кога сите ние сфаќаме колку е важен развојот на нашите компјутерски и ИКТ вештини. Дека паметните телефони не се попаметни од нас. Дека тие биле изградени не да ни одвлекуваат внимание, туку да ни помогнат да ги извршуваме нашите дневни задачи. Да понудат поинаква можност што ни е на дофат. Практично е невозможно да се зборува за вашата подготовка за иднината, без да се спомене важноста на КОМПЈУТЕРСКАТА ПИСМЕНОСТ, клучно знаење и способност што треба да ги поседувате, ако сакате да НАПРЕДУВАТЕ во денешно време.
И бидејќи едното е незамисливо без другото, развојот на вашите вештини за читање, слушање, пишување и зборување на англиски јазик е од голема важност. И тоа е местото каде што доаѓам на сликата. Да ви помогнам да го сторите тоа. Крајно време е да продолжиме со лекциите. Да продолжиме од таму каде што застанавме последниот пат кога се видовме.
Затоа, користете ги компјутерите и паметните телефони мудро и ефикасно. Како што споменав претходно, тие треба да помогнат, а не да ни го одвлекуваат вниманието. КОРИСТЕТЕ ги за ваша КОРИСТ. За да го сторите тоа, треба да работите и на подобрување на вашиот англиски јазик.
Со љубов,
Вашата наставничка по Англиски јазик)

Our graduate students finish their high school education on the 19th May and they always have their prom party on the 20th May. This year, unfortunately, things are different. They had to finish their high school education using online educational platforms. It was very stressful for them and they were very sad and disappointed that they couldn’t leave school with a big party. But we, their teachers, promised them that once this nightmare is all over, they will have the best prom ever.
On the 20th May our principal sent them list letter:

On behalf of the entire staff of the school to our graduates!
Exactly at this hour, exactly on this day, the high school "Ljupco Santov" - Kocani should have shone in full glory. This date should have been a white night for you. Our student generation 2016-2020 was supposed to have their last class where you would have been greeted with special and unforgettable excitement by the last messages from your class teachers. Only how many people, the whole city of Kocani would have gathered to see you in your full bloom and send you on the paths of your further life wishing you all the best.
Today, all of you dear students of ours, would have prepared a Hollywood script for us. How great a holiday in the homes, in the neighbourhoods of the students, in the streets of Kocani, in the souls and hearts of parents and loved ones would have been spilled.
These are moments, regardless of everything that happens around us, when we, the professors and employees of the high school "Ljupco Santov" - Kocani are wishing you a happy graduation from your high school days where you gave us countless unforgettable moments, creativity, energy.
 Dear generation!
We undoubtedly expect your acquired knowledge and skills to rise on the paths of the future as recognizable and worthy citizens wherever you are. We welcomed you as minors and we send you into the future as adults to grab and change the world making it more harmonious, more beautiful, more dignified to live in.
And in such specific circumstances, be with your positive energy because you are all in our thoughts and we are wishing you
HAPPY GRADUATION!

(Од името на целокупниот персонал од училиштето до нашите матуранти!

Токму во овој час, токму овој ден СОУ „Љупчо Сантов“ – Кочани требаше да блеска во полн сјај. Овој датум за Вас требаше да биде бела ноќ. Нашата ученичка генерација 2016-2020 година требаше да го одржи последниот класен час на кој со посебна и незаборавна возбуда ќе ги пречекавте последните пораки од Вашите класни раководители. Само колку народ, цело Кочани ќе се собереше за да Ве види во Вашиот полн цут и да Ве испрати по патеките на Вашиот понатамошен живот посакувајќи Ви се најубаво, се најдобро...

Денес, сите Вие наши скапи ученици ќе ни приредивте холивудско сценарио. Колку голем празник по домовите, низ маалата на матурантите, низ кочанските улици, во душата и срцата на родителите и блиските ќе се разлееше. Наши скапи оскаровци, за жал црвениот килим со кој Ве пречекуваме остана нерасклопен.
Ова се моменти без разлика на се што се случува околу нас, ние, професорите и вработените во СОУ „Љупчо Сантов“ – Кочани да Ви посакаме среќно заокружување на едно училишно патешествие на кое ни даривте безброј незаборавни моменти, креативност, енергија. Имаше и одредени отскокнувања, затоа што отскокнувавте во најдобрите работи.
Ценета генерацијо!
Вашите стекнати знаења и вештини неоспорно очекуваме да Ве вивнат по патеките на иднината како препознатливи и достојни граѓани каде и да сте. Ве пречекавме малолетни и Ве испраќаме во иднината полнолетни да го зграпчите и промените светот правејќи го похармоничен, поубав, подостоинствен за живеење.
И во вакви специфични околности бидете со Вашата позитивна енергија затоа што сите ние сме со мислите и душата покрај Вас и Ви посакуваме

СРЕЌНА МАТУРА!)

The lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented and strange experience for everyone. All of a sudden, everything changed in our lives in an unexpected way. We stayed home for a lot of hours, we weren’t permitted to go to our work, we couldn’t go out without reason, and we got involved in distance learning. All these restrictions affected us undoubtedly deeply. But at the same time never before had we spend so much time with our family talking about different things, doing together different things and through this getting to know each other. During lockdown not only did we get to know our family members better but also we discovered ourselves. We discovered new skills, new hobbies, and we got excited with things that we had never understood before how useful they are in our daily life.

Today the lockdown is almost over and we are trying to get involved in our daily routine again. Of course, we have to maintain social distancing, the use of mask and gloves when we are in enclosed spaces and all this advice that health officials suggested in order to avoid being infected from the new disease. Teachers and students are back at school and face to face learning replaced distance learning. But nothing is the same as it used to be. Every class is divided in two parts and no more than 15 students should attend in a classroom. Students of the 12th grade do not attend regularly because they are preparing for the PanHellenic Exams obviously stressed but at the same time eager to gain the entrance in the university and chase their dreams. On the contrary, students of 10th and 11th grades attend on a daily basis almost all of them. They seem to be very happy they meet their friends and teachers again and they really have fun besides the existing restrictions.

Η καραντίνα λόγω του COVID-19 ήταν για όλους ένα αναπάντεχο συμβάν. Ξαφνικά οι ζωές όλων μας άλλαξαν ξαφνικά. Έπρεπε να παραμείνουμε σπίτι για πολλές ώρες, δεν μπορούσαμε να πάμε στις δουλειές μας, να βγούμε από το σπίτι χωρίς συγκεκριμένους επιτρεπόμενους λόγους και μάθαμε να δουλεύουμε εξ αποστάσεως. Σίγουρα όλες αυτές οι καταστάσεις μας άλλαξαν βαθιά, αλλά συγχρόνως ήταν η πρώτη φορά που μπορέσαμε να περάσουμε τόσο χρόνο στο σπίτι με τους δικούς μας ανθρώπους κάνοντας διαφορετικά πράγματα από αυτά που μέχρι τώρα είχαμε συνηθίσει να κάνουμε. Ανακαλύψαμε νέες δεξιότητες, νέα χόμπι αλλά ανακαλύψαμε νέα πράγματα που πριν από αυτόν τον εγκλεισμό δεν γνωρίζαμε πόσο σημαντικά ήταν.

Σήμερα η καραντίνα έχει σχεδόν τελειώσει, φυσικά ακόμα πρέπει να διατηρούμε τις μεταξύ μας αποστάσεις, να φοράμε γάντια και μάσκες όπου είναι απαραίτητο και να προσέχουμε την προσωπική μας υγιεινή. Τόσο οι μαθητές όσο και οι καθηγητές στα σχολεία έχουν επιστρέψει και η εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση έχει αντικατασταθεί πλέον από την δια ζώσης. Αλλά τίποτα δεν είναι πια το ίδιο. Οι τάξεις έχουν διαιρεθεί στην μέση ώστε το σύνολο των μαθητών να μην υπερβαίνει τους 15. Οι μαθητές της Γ τάξης δεν παρακολουθούν καθημερινά λόγω της προετοιμασίας τους για την Πανελλήνιες εξετάσεις. Από την άλλη οι μαθητές των άλλων δύο τάξεων παρακολουθούν κανονικά τα μαθήματά τους και είναι πολύ χαρούμενοι που έχουν ξαναβρεθεί με τους φίλους και τους καθηγητές τους ξανά.

This year April 30 was the last school-day for graduating students in all Hungarian secondary schools. School-leaving ceremony (ballagás) is not only a school ceremony but also an important family event for us. Normally it involves decorating the classrooms with flowers, writing farewell messages on the blackboard, junior students presenting a farewell satchel with a pogácsa (savoury scone) and a coin in it, singing farewell songs, moving slowly from classroom to classroom and finally gathering in the school courtyard to listen to speeches of headmaster and students. Now we had this event online, which was organised by the school management. Here you can read the opinion and feelings of a student.

‘In my opinion the online graduation was a weird experience over all. The graduation itself, was beautiful and touching but the feeling was different. Me and my friends talked via videochat while watching our graduation from the comfort of our own bedroom. We all felt that the same way. This experience, this feeling of walking in front of our parents and teachers was ripped from us. But overall we wrote history, and hopefully we will all remember this as a lovely memory that we can cherish and have the right to be proud of.’

Éva